In the laying of plank flooring a problem frequently encountered is that the floor boards are not ideally straight, but rather display an undefined curvature. Therefore in practice a straight and true floor board is first secured to a floor-sub-floor. Then the additional boards must be aligned when laid. To do so, the first end of the particular board is secured in the desired position relative to the previously secured board, so that any potential curvature will run away from the previously secured board. Then the board will have to be pulled in across its length for each additional laid board. Due to the often quite large spring force of the floor board, tensioning systems such as tensioning belts, screw clamps or such are often used as auxiliary devices. However, this is associated with the disadvantage that during the particular clamping process and due to the completely undefined and unlimited tension setting of the particular auxiliary device, the joint spacing between the boards has to be controlled with a caliper in order to terminate the tensioning process when the desired joint spacing is obtained. Then the tensioning means actually used has to be left or locked in this state in order to secure the floor board to the sub-floor. This described process has to be repeated several times across the length of the floor board so that the alignment of the floor boards is very complicated and time-consuming.
The object of the present invention is to create an auxiliary device of the stated kind with which the alignment of floor boards—and thus also the laying of plank floors overall—can be carried out faster and simpler.
In the invention this is accomplished by an embodiment as a tensioning unit with two—with respect to the intended application—floor-side, protruding, lower contact jaws for resting against board side edges, said contact jaws being joined together via a displacement guide for changing of their mutual internal distance, and with an upper lever mechanism positioned opposite the lower, floor-side contact jaws, said lever mechanism being designed according to the toggle principle and being connected to the contact jaws such that by pivoting of the lever mechanism the contact jaws can be moved from a starting position with a larger distance into a tensioned position with a smaller, defined distance.
By means of this favorable embodiment, the alignment of floor boards described above is made simpler in that solely the invented tensioning device with the contact jaws need be set onto the already secured floor board and onto the next in line floor board and then be tensioned by using the lever mechanism. Since in the tensioned position directly and necessarily a defined distance of the contact jaws is assured, the cumbersome measuring and monitoring of the particular board joint spacing is unnecessary, so that the board in the tensioned position can be secured immediately to the sub-floor. Consequently, for each additional attachment, solely the tensioning device need be set on and tensioned by a simple movement of the lever. For each individual board attachment, time is saved and this time savings adds up over the plurality of needed attachments and represents a considerable time advantage in the installation of plank floors. In addition, a favorable force transfer is achieved by means of the lever mechanism.
In a favorable embodiment, the tensioning device for adjusting to the particular width of the board and/or to the particular, desired joint spacing, features adjusting means for adjusting of the defined distance of the contact jaws in the tensioned position, so that the distance can be adjusted to a measure which corresponds to twice the width of the particular floor boards plus the width of a desired plank joint. As a rule, a width of joint of 5 to 6 mm is provided for plank floors in outdoor or humid installations, so that at a width of board of 145 mm, for example, a jaw distance of e.g. 295 mm will result for the tensioned setting. Thus an opening stroke of the contact jaws of 20 to 30 mm in all probability will be sufficient in practice, so that the larger jaw distance in the initial setting will be in a range from 315 to 325 mm, for example. However, this data is provided merely as an example and thus does not restrict the invention.
Additional favorable exemplary embodiments of the invention are contained in the following description.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below based on one preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures.